Fuel briquette



Fatented May 12, 1925.

was j We e EMIL rraon'orivnwy onx, n.2, nssrenoir 'ro emu coat DISTILLATION' sits-Terr Inc, or new YORK, N, Y., A coaroaarro v or DELAWARE.

' T y rom, BaI QUErrn 2 i No Drawing.

2' all whom may camera:

Be it known that I, EMIL PIRON, a subject of the King of the Belgians, residing at New York city, in the county and State 5 of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel Briquettes, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to briquettes of pulverized fuel, such as coke, coal or the 1 like, and a method of making the same by which are produced briquettes which are strong enough to stand considerable pressure without crushing and which are waterproof and which, furthermore, are smoke- 1 less so far as concerns any materials used in the briquetting process otherthan the fuel itself.

My invention will be best understood from the following description of my preferred method and product, which is given by way of example only and not of limitation.

In carrying out the method of such example, I mix pulverized coke with approximately 10% of concentrated sulphite liquor and form briquettes out of such mixture under pressure which may be as low as 2000 or 3000 pounds per square inch. I then dip these briquettes for an instant in tar which preferably is hot. The briquettes thus coated with tar are then placed in a retort and subjected to a temperature of approximately 400 C. for a period of about five minutes. This carbonizes the tar coating on the exterior of the briquette and, of course also any of the tar which may have soaked in for a short distance into the briquette and also any of the binder solution which may be in such exterior coating.

The product thus obtained is hard so that the briquette will hold its shape even when struck relatively heavy blows or subjected to considerable crushing pressure and, moreover. the carbonized coating makes the briquette waterproof. so that it will stand weathering to a greater extent than the usual form of briquettes made with sulphite liquor as a binder. The carbonized coating: is also of such a character that practically none of it will rub off in handling the briquette.

While I preferably use sulphite liquor as a binder, it will be obvious that any other binder may be used, and particularly any Ap lication a sesses 24, 1923; Serial No. eeeom binder conta ining--organic -mucilagesv or resins.

If desired, tar itself or pitch may be used as the binder, though this is not desirable, because of the smoke which would be pro duced when the briquettes are burned. The feature of my invention which involves carbonizing an exterior layer of hydrocarbon, however, could be carried out when the tar only is used in the mixture, because it is obvious that by rapid heating for a short time, a briquette formed of a mixture of tar and pulverized fuel, would have only its exterior covered by a layer of hard material formed of the carbonized tar.

When dipping the briquettes in tar for an instant only, I find that the tar soaks into the briquette between the dipping and the carbonizing process, for a distance of only, say, or of an inch, so that the carbonized layer covering the briquette is approximately of that depth. It will be understood that this rapid dipping has certain advantages, inasmuch as the minimum amount of tar is used and, furthermore. heating for carbonizing purposes is correspondingly cut down, because obviously the. longer the briquette remains in the liquid tar, the deeper the tar will penetrate in the briquette and the longer the briquette will have to be subjected to the temperature to carbonize all of the tar.

While preferably I carbonize in a closed retort, at a relatively low heat, it will be understood that any other treatment which will result in carbonizing the outer layer may be used. When the briquettes are carbonized in a closed retort and when tar is used as the coating material, I find that the lighter constituents of the tar which are driven off during the carbonizing, contain valuable by-products 'which may be recovered to compensate for the cost of the tar in making the briquettes.

While my product and method are particularly adapted for briquettes made of pulverized coke, it will be understood that any other of the usual carbonaceous fuels, such as theusual coals, may be used. .In such case, the fuel will have precisely the same qualities that it has without briquetting, since the binder, particularly when sulphite liquor is used, will be smokeless and t e a on e ydrocarbon wil also smokeless. Yhen such briquettes are made from pulverized coke, they are entirely smokeless, because; 'of c'ourse,.* no smoke arises from the coke and none from the,

5 binderor outer layer when made according tdflhy PfOCSlh A While prefer ably I use tar as the coating material, any of the heavy hydrocarbons may be used, such as petroleum residue 01' pitch. When the latter is used, it must be melted, of course, to make it fluid. Preferably I-heat any of the fluidsused as a coating compound in order to make sure that no Water is included therein.

It will be understood that the embodiment 15 of my-invention may be widely varied and that certain features-thereof may be used independently of 7 other features;

I claim:

"Airfuel briquette comprising a mass of 20 pulverized coke mixed with sulphite liquor and enclosed in a layer of carbonized tar.

EMILY PIRON.

Certificate of Correction It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent N 0. 1,537,190, granted May 12, 1925,

upon the application of Emil Piron, of New York, N. Y, for an improvement in Fuel Briquettes, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction follows: Page 2, line 6, for the Word any read my; and that the said Letters yv'uent should be read With this correction therein that the same may conform to t? 4: record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 80th day of June, A. D. 1925.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

